“To those in your kingdom, O’King, who are
occupied with farming and raising cattle, Your Majesty should bestow seeds and
fodder. To those in your kingdom, O’King, who are engaged in trade, Your
Majesty should bestow proper funds. And to those in your kingdom, O’King, who
are employed under your service, Your Majesty should bestow appropriate support
and salary. Then your subjects being occupied with their own duties will not
create any harm to the country but on the other hand your revenues, Your
Majesty, will be abundant. Your kingdom will be at peace, not suffer harm or
damage. The people will live joyful in their hearts, dancing with their
children and dwelling in open houses.”

The above quote12 from the Kūṭadantasutta verifies that the Buddha
stressed that support and welfare of his subjects constitutes an utmost duty of
a king in his royal administration. Similar to the previous selections from the
Cakkavattisutta13 a somewhat rational thread indicates a plausible decline of moral standards,
likely increase of immorality and development of vices in the cases where a
government doesn’t respect the most basic needs of its subjects for wellbeing.
But in general it seems that the Buddha favoured a society to be administered
on base of democratic values rather than royal administration, if rooted in
seven principles that he himself had advised the Vajjians.The present Sārandadasutta14 highlights these principles of non-decline and suggests that the Buddha himself
proposed them as an ideal modus operandi towards shared involvement of all
subjects in decision making and administration - what one may call ‘true
democracy’.

At one time, when King Ajātasattu intended to go to war with the Vajjan country he sent
his chief minister Vassakāra to the
Buddha to ask for respective advice15. But
before replying to Vassakāra the
Buddha first enquired with Ānanda whether the Vajjians were still upholding
those wholesome principles of government as described in this Sārandadasutta. After Ānanda had
confirmed that all these principles were fully maintained by the Vajjians the
Buddha’s reply to Vassakāra shows
that such a model of administration comes close to his ideal of a well
functioning society, even so he never explicitly explained it as such: ……‘‘ekamidāhaṃ, brāhmaṇa, samayaṃ vesāliyaṃ
viharāmi sārandade cetiye. Tatrāhaṃ vajjīnaṃ ime satta aparihāniye16 dhamme desesiṃ. Yāvakīvañca, brāhmaṇa, ime satta aparihāniyā dhammā vajjīsu
ṭhassanti, imesu ca sattasu aparihāniyesu dhammesu vajjī sandississanti,
vuddhiyeva, brāhmaṇa, vajjīnaṃ pāṭikaṅkhā, no parihānī’’ti. – “At one time,
Brāhmin, when I was dwelling at Vesāliyaṃ in the Sārandade cave. There I taught
the Vajjians those seven principles for avoiding their decline. As long, Brāhmin,
as these seven principles of non-decline are maintained by the Vajjians, as
long as these seven principles of non-decline are upheld by the Vajjians, the
Vajjians can expect to thrive, not to decline!”17

The Buddha was so convinced that these seven
principles constitute a healthy and wholesome base that he endorsed them for
the Bhikkhus as well by adapting them respectively for the Saṅgha’s thriving.
He advised them to establish the first four but substituted the last with: they
should not fall prey to desires; remain devoted to forest lodgings and maintain
proper awareness and mindfulness.18

In the same way as the Buddha emphasised welfare
for all, joint participation in shared affairs, collective process of decision
taking, he likewise criticised a system of a society based on superiority of
some over others. He criticised the established supremacy of castes19 and their
imaginary difference. Repeatedly he emphasized that one may be born into any of these castes, and
regardless of what caste one may be it is still possible to perform any
breakage of sīla and any kind of immoral act that is blamed and censured by the
wise20. Likewise
anyone from these castes could perform wholesome deeds and enter on a spiritual
life. It is not the birth that qualifies the superiority of a person, not even
a Brāhmin may claim his supremacy, it is the development in dhammic qualities
which qualifies a person. Anyone from any caste shall be judged by his virtue
alone: “Taṃ kissa hetu? Imesañhi,
vāseṭṭha, catunnaṃ vaṇṇānaṃ yo hoti bhikkhu arahaṃ khīṇāsavo vusitavā
katakaraṇīyo ohitabhāro anuppattasadattho parikkhīṇabhavasaṃyojano
sammadaññāvimutto21,
so nesaṃ aggamakkhāyati22 dhammeneva, no adhammena. Dhammo hi, vāseṭṭha, seṭṭho janetasmiṃ, diṭṭhe ceva
dhamme abhisamparāyañca.”23– “Why is this so? Because, Vāseṭṭha,
anyone from these four castes who is a Bhikkhu, an Arahant, completely freed
from any defilements, who has reached perfection, done what ought to be done,
laid down the burden and reached their goal, who has destroyed the fetters
binding them to existence and become completely liberated by his own final
knowledge — anyone of these is proclaimed supreme according to the principles
of Dhamma, not through non-Dhamma. Because, Vāseṭṭha, Dhamma is paramount for
people in this life and beyond!”

The Aggaññasuttaṃ
further relates the historical evolvement of how the castes came into being
simply by distribution of responsibilities and work. While originally all
beings dwelling on earth were mind made, after the arising of craving towards
and consumption of food their bodies became coarse. With more substantial
nutriment gender and sexual organs developed with the result of increase of passion
and indulgence in sexual activities. Finally a situation developed where based
on laziness towards the need of daily gathering of grains the idea of storage
arose; possession was one result and theft followed thereafter. Protection of
property was needed so a group of guards was given the responsibility for
safeguard.24 In this way the first group, the Khattiyā developed with the duty to guard and
censure misdeed. Similarly those who did not engage in worldly affairs
constituted the Brāhmiṇs, those who engaged in trade the Vessā, those who
engaged in hunting the Suddā. But independent how this differentiation of
diverse modes of adopting various lifestyles or professions from separation of
diverging duties may have developed, the Buddha kept emphasising that all
classes were the same, all could perform misdeeds but all could likewise aim to
restrain from physical, verbal and mental unhealthy actions, to develop the
seven factors of enlightenment and to attain Nibbāna in this very life: …… kāyena saṃvuto vācāya saṃvuto manasā saṃvuto sattannaṃ bodhipakkhiyānaṃ dhammānaṃ
bhāvanamanvāya diṭṭheva dhamme parinibbāyati.

Is this all only a fancy? It is up to each and
every one to engage in wholesomeness and to refrain from evil; Buddha has given
sufficient guidance that makes it easy even in today’s world to follow a
prosperous path! May today’s world enable all beings to live a healthy and
wholesome life, for the benefit of others and all!

1ussahati: be able, to endeavour

2kasigorakkhe: kasi + gorakkhe: farmer + cowherd

3anuppadetu: (imp.): give, bestow

4pābhataṃ: money, capital

5rājaporise: raja + porise: king + man: in service
of the king, government

12 The Buddha refers here to an advice given to a king named Mahāvijita,
who enquired how a great sacrifice should be done properly. The Buddha
identifies himself with the king’s counsellor in one of his previous births.

14 The sutta is called after the location, the Sārandada-vihāra where the Buddha dwelled. It was one of the five sanctuaries
he liked to visit around Vesāli,
beautiful and refreshing natural spots of former shrines, once dedicated to
local deities. The Sārandada-vihāra was named
after the Yakka Sārandada.

15 Mahāparinibbānasuttaṃ,
Dīghanikāyo, Mahāvaggapāḷi

16aparihāniye: not + connected
with decay, loss

17Vassakāra, who intended to report back to Ajātasattu truthfully what the Buddha had said still was convinced that the
intention to go to war by Ajātasattu remained in place and thought of other
means to win the war inspite of these principles of wholesome administration: Akaraṇīyāva, bho gotama, vajjī raññā māgadhena ajātasattunā
vedehiputtena yadidaṃ yuddhassa, aññatra upalāpanāya aññatra mithubhedā. Vassakāra then, with the support of Ajātasattu went to the Vajjians who invited him
to teach their children. During the following three years Vassakāra managed to spread disharmony amongst the children which then was
extended to the parents. When Ajātasattu was informed that the union and
concord of the Vajjians had been
wiped out, he could then easily conquer the Licchavis.

Also seeMadhurasuttaṃ, Rājavaggo,
Majjhimapaṇṇāsapāḷi, Majjhimanikāye:
Here Mahā
Kaccāna
in his conversation with King Avantiputta
of Madhurā likewise emphasises that there is no difference.
Anyone from any caste could perform an evil deed and he would reappear in lower
worlds after being penalized with the same punishment by the state. Likewise if
anyone from the castes would go into homelessness he would be respected as
recluse: ‘‘Taṃ kiṃ maññasi, mahārāja, yadi evaṃ sante, ime cattāro vaṇṇā
samasamā honti no vā? Kathaṃ vā te ettha hotī’’ti? ‘‘Addhā kho, bho kaccāna,
evaṃ sante, ime cattāro vaṇṇā samasamā honti. Nesaṃ ettha kiñci nānākaraṇaṃ
samanupassāmī’’ti. Similar exposition can be found at: Esukārīsutta; Assalāyanasutta both Brāhmaṇavaggo,Majjhimapaṇṇāsapāḷi,
Majjhimanikāye.